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HISTORY
OF MONKS DELI
Monks Delicatessen - a story spanning 140 years of shopkeeping and five generations...
Our story begins with George Monks (born 1824) who had two sons: William and Edward.
William Monks (born 1863) opened our first shop in 1884, and went on to run three shops at 132 Bridge Street, 61 Sankey Street, and 42 Main Street, Frodsham, where he was listed as a tea and coffee merchant, grocer, and provisions dealer.
His brother Edward Monks (born 1867) opened his first shop in the late 1880's, we believe at 62 Church Street, before moving to a larger premises and a warehouse at 51-53 Bridge Street. He later opened an Italian Warehouse in Greenway Road, the forerunner to what would become known as a Delicatessen. Edward owned two teams of Shire horses that were used for collecting and delivering produce around Cheshire.
Edwards had three sons; Henry (born 1892), Edward (born 1893) and John (born 1895). All three children joined the business when they left school. The eldest, Henry, had a son called Geoffrey (born 1924), who joined 'Henry Monks & Son' in Bridge Street on returning from service in the Second World War.
In 1970 the Bridge Street shop was 'compulsory purchased' by the Development Corporation and the business was moved to the Shoppers Arcade in the Shopping City.
Geoffrey had a son called Richard (born 1960), who helped out in the shop from the age of 11, before officially joining the business to work alongside his father aged 15 after taking his final exam in June 1975.
In 1977, after 2 years of learning everything he needed to know from his father about running a delicatessen, a lease was signed on 9 Granville Street back in Runcorn Town Centre, and Richard had his own shop to manage. In 2004 the lease was 'compulsary purchased' by Halton Council and the business moved across the road to its present location at 2 Granville Street.
Richard had two daughters, Alex Monks (now Alex Oliver born 1993) and Olivia (born 1996), who both worked in the business on Saturdays and during the holidays from the age of 16. Alex joined the business full time to work alongside her father in 2016.
136 years of continuous trading by the same family makes Monks Delicatessen one of the oldest Delicatessens in the country! None of the above would have been possible without the good people of Runcorn, who have shopped with us for 5 generations!
Thank you!
Above: Richard's Grandad in the Bridge Street shop, late 1940s
Above: Front of house girls, late 1940s
Above: Monks Delicatessen in the Shopping City
Above: Monks Delicatessen weekday team, present day
Above: Monks Italian Warehouse on Greenway Road, 1912
Above: The Queen opens the Shopping City, 5th May 1972